Alabama's Jeremy Shelley had been here before.
Three seconds on the clock, ball 49 yards removed from the gray line winners and losers tiptoe along regularly and the crowd as loud as ever.
You might recall the 2011 BCS National Championship game when Nick Saban ran his kicker out on the field seven times against LSU. He made five field goals, accounting for 15 of the team's 21 points on the night (he missed an extra point, too).
The performance on the game's grandest stage was sweet vindication for a guy who, along with teammate and fellow kicker Cade Foster, combined to miss four field goals against the Bayou Bengals earlier in the 2011 season, a 9-6 loss in overtime.
The bumps in the road experienced throughout his junior season (21-27 FG), seemed to smooth out during his final campaign as a member of the Tide. Shelley was a perfect 11-11 on field goals and 63-63 on extra points, a career-high, during the regular season.
With two relatively chip-shot field goals (20 and 30 yards, respectively) earlier in the December Madness finale, Shelley lined up a 49-yarder. If he split the uprights, it would be his longest field goal of the season and, without question, most clutch moment since last January.
The snap was back. Three …
Hold was good. Two …
Kick on the way. One …
A stadium held its breath. Zero …
The kick, right down the middle.
Shelley and his Alabama teammates celebrated at midfield as Nick Saban enjoyed a chilly Gatorade shower.
The Crimson Tide rally to beat Notre Dame 16-13 in WhatIfSports.com's December Madness title game.
Player of the game: Jeremy Shelley (3-4 FG)
Winning Percentage of 1,001 Simulations:
Alabama 52.9% - Notre Dame 47.1%
Average Score of 1,001 Simulations:
Alabama 24.0 - Notre Dame 23.0